Suppertime

Really...I am going to eat

but it is a lot of fun....

chewing on my fork!

We still do not have much trouble with Luke eating. There are very few things he does not like. His favorite sign is definitely "eat" and "more". His teeth have been bothering him again lately and he has enjoyed chewing on the ends of his forks and spoons. My grandmother was in town visiting from Tullahoma this week. She stay with my mom but we got to see them several times. It was fun having her so close and she loved getting to spend time with Luke.

Wonderful Wedding

Laura, Sara, Virginia and Me

The proud parents

Laura and I manned the gift
and registration table

The food was fabulous!

We had a wonderful time at Sara and Andy's wedding Saturday night. The ceremony was at Westminster Presbyterian Church with the reception following at the Belle Meade Plantation. They could not have asked for better weather in August. It was unseasonably cool without a cloud in the sky! The wedding party arrived at the reception in a trolley which was so neat. The food was catered by Chef's Market who always do a wonderful job. Sara and Andy had the coolest first dance. They had everyone fooled when Celine Dion started singing but the song quickly changed to an upbeat oldie. (The name escapes at the moment). We could definitely tell they had been practicing! It was so fun to dance and visit with everyone.

Nana and Grandpa kept Luke at their house before bringing him home for bedtime. Nana said he was great. He learned how to pick tomatoes and even drove the Gator sitting in Nana's lap. Luke did manage to get another mosquito bite on his eye. To top that off he sprayed himself in the eyes with Windex yesterday! He just does not have much luck! He is never out for long though. He was back to normal in no time.

Saturday Play Date

Luke and Sara

Laura and Hunter being silly

Hunter coming down the slide

Luke wanting to go up the slide

Saturday was a fun, busy day. My friend Laura was in town for the weekend. We have planned several play dates for Luke and her son Hunter but they have never worked out. We decided we were going to plan this one and stick to it. They came to our house around 9:30 that morning. It took Luke and Hunter a while to get used to each other. When it was snack time Laura and Hunter went to the car to get something and Luke started whining and knocking on the back door. It was funny!

We went to see our best friend Virginia and her sister Sara getting their hair done for Sara's wedding! We did not stay long. A salon is not the best place for two rambunctious little boys! It was great getting to see them before the actual wedding festivities started.

After that we headed to Chick-fil-A for lunch. Unbelievably we have never taken Luke there to eat. Isn't that crazy?!?! He had a grilled chicken tender and a fruit cup and ate it up. We let the boys play on the playground for a few minutes after we ate. I would not let Luke go in the "big kids" area. This was mainly because when he played on the playground at McDonald's he got scared and did not want to come down so I had to go in after him. It was not a pretty sight. Those playgrounds are definitely not "adult size"!

We said our good-byes shortly after the playground. I think Luke and Hunter got along great. I am super excited that Laura is closer to Nashville now so we can have more outings with the boys!

Cuttin' the Grass

Last Christmas mom and dad bought Luke a little play lawnmower. He hasn't really shown much interest in it until lately. Now he likes to mow everything.

Old Video of Luke

I was downloading some videos off of our camera tonight and found a few old ones I thought were funny. Enjoy!

Sweet Baby

Happy Mommy!

I went to visit my good friend Amanda today. I got to meet her new little one, Shelby Jane. I stopped and picked up McDonald's for us. Thomas Michael was anxiously awaiting his chicken nuggets when I got there! Shelby looks just like Amanda! She was an absolute doll. She and Thomas were both so good. I was impressed with how well Amanda is handling two babies now. We visited for a while and then I headed home. Unfortunately while I was on the interstate a rock hit my windshield and cracked it! I have never had that happen before. I was a little worried. Paul was able to get in touch with our insurance agent who arranged for the windshield to be replaced tomorrow while I am at work. It is only Tuesday night and I feel like we have already had a full week. We will see what the rest of the week has for us!

Hello?

I need to call Daddy...

Daddy....are you coming home?

Yay! Daddy is on his way!

Luke was in such a good mood when we got home today. He loves to "talk" on the phone. Really, he just likes to play with all the buttons and turn the speakerphone off and on. I am trying to do better taking pictures. It seems like I have to take 5 to get 1 good one these days. Luke just moves too fast and does not want to pose.

Our Weekend

I can fix it!

No pictures, please!

We had a fabulous weekend! The fall-like weather put us all in a great mood! Friday night we went to Indian Lake and ate supper at Qdoba. Afterwards we let Luke play in the fountains. He loved it! Unfortunately, we did not have our camera. He would run back and forth and squeal with delight. He did not want to leave. We stripped him down and put some pj's on before we went home. Needless to say he went straight to bed when we got home.

I had to work Saturday morning so Paul and Luke went to visit Memaw, Kitty, Nana and Grandpa. We spent most of the afternoon lounging around the house and trying to get Luke to take a nap. He would have none of that. Apparently he only needs 30 minute naps on the weekends. There is just too much going on that he might miss. Saturday night Nonna came to keep Luke so Paul and I could go to a dinner party in Gallatin. We had a great time. There were lots of people there that we had not seen in awhile. We had a great night out! Luke and Nonna had fun, too. She said he was so sweet. They played outside, worked puzzles and read books.

Sunday morning on our way out the door to church we realized we had somehow locked the keys in my vehcile the night before! We could not find the spare anywhere. We took Paul's car to church but the whole time I was wondering where the spare was. Paul called Onstar when we got home but since the previous owner had let the service lapse they could not really help us. They did connect him to roadside assistance. Since the vehicle is still under warranty they came out and unlocked it for us free of charge. What a nice feature! The spare key is still MIA so I plan to get some more made tomorrow. The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful. We took advantage of the cool weather by doing some yard work and playing outside.

Big Boots To Fill

Whoa! About to topple over!

I like Daddy's boots!

Luke loves to play with shoes. He especially likes to pick shoes out for us to wear. He usually wants me to wear heels with work out clothes or Paul to wear flip flops to work. This weekend Paul wore his boots and Luke thought they were great! He insisted on putting his feet (legs) in them. He did not last long before he toppled over!

Dollar Tuesday

Luke enjoying vanilla ice cream

Luke, Preston, Ms Terri and Hallie

We had a fun Tuesday. Luke went to school for part of the day while I did some errands and got a hair cut. When I picked him up we went to see Ms Terri and to pick up Luke's things. When we pulled in the neighborhood he started squealing and pointing. He knew where we were going! He was so happy to see Ms Terri and she was glad to see him. I think they miss each other. We visited for a few minutes and Luke loved playing with her daughter Hallie. He misses his playmate! Terri offered to keep Luke anytime we wanted a night out. We will have to take her up on that!

When I was out running errands today I noticed that Tuesday is $1 scoop night at Baskin-Robbins. We have a store right by our house and we have only been once. So, we headed over there after supper to take advantage of the good deal. As soon as we walked in Luke ran straight up to the counter like he was going to place his order. Luckily there were not many customers in the store so Luke had the run of the place. The employees got a kick out of all his excitement. I have feeling we might be visiting Baskin-Robbins on Tuesdays more often!

Non Stop Weekend

Posing with my new ride!

We all love our new vehicle.

Luke was more interested in
riding his horse than
watching the Titans

Luke's first taste of chocolate milk!

Luke and Nonna playing
with the jukebox at Logan's.

I feel like we have had whirlwind weekend! Friday night has become our night of the week to eat out. Nonna joined us this Friday. Luke ran around the waiting area like crazy. He wanted to play songs on the jukebox, eat the peanuts out of the barrel and go up and down the stairs. The three of us took turns running after him.

Some of you know that we have been looking for a new vehicle for me for what seems like forever! Paul sold my Camry on craigslist a couple of weeks ago. Since then I have been driving his car and he has had Grandpa's truck. I just could not make up my mind what I wanted. I knew we needed something with a 3rd row but I was not ready to graduate to mini-van status just yet. We drove most everything from an Acura to a Chevrolet. We finally narrowed it down between the new Chevrolet Traverse and the GMC Acadia. Paul found a great Acadia on craiglist that was exactly what we wanted! We went to Murfreesboro yesterday to check it out. It is a 2008 and only has 10,000 miles on it. The family had taken excellent care of it. We were sold. I have had it for a little over 24 hours and I love it! It drives great and has so much room. I know Paul is especially glad that this saga is over!

We spent last night watching the Titans game and doing normal weekend chores. This morning we enjoyed our new preacher at church. He delivered a very powerful "back to basics" message. I think we are really going to enjoy him. We rounded out the weekend by going to Nana and Grandpa's for supper and to return the truck. It has been a very productive weekend!

Fun with Our Little Person

Silly boy!

Helping clean the floors

Watch out I have my spatula!

This past week has been busy as usual. Luke finally got in full time at Good Shepherd. Fortunately the same day we found out he had a full time spot his Tuesday/ Thursday babysitter, Ms. Terri, got a full time job. The timing could not have been better! He will start full time tomorrow. It will be nice to have a more simple routine. Last Thursday he stayed at Nana and Grandpa's. They had a blast! He even said "Grandpa" for the first time! It is amazing how much they change in one week. This week has been full of lots of first words for Luke. He has said ice cream, scarecrow, yes, cookie, cracker and tractor! We can't wait to see what this week has in store...

Friday night I had a first. I spent the night with two of my best girlfriends at the Opryland Hotel. This was the first night I had been away from home by myself since Luke was born. Virginia, Laura and I had a blast! We had a wonderful dinner and stayed up until 3:30 in the morning! It reminded me of a high school slumber party. There is just something therapeutic about being with your girlfriends. Hopefully we will make it an annual event!

Sundays with Friends

If I were just a little bit taller!

Even Hanne was glued to the TV
when the Titans came on

Katherine and Hanne

Jake thought Luke was too funny!

The last two Sundays we have enjoyed the evenings with good friends. Since everyone has such busy lives we have found that Sundays are a good day to get together. Last week the Fitzpatricks came over. Baby Jake is an absolute doll! Luke was not sure what to make of him the whole time they were here. When Jake was in his carrier to go home Luke bent down and started tickling his feet! Wish he had been like that earlier in the evening!

Tonight we enjoyed our good friends the MacLeans and Louws. It is so neat to see all the kids together. They range in age from 10 weeks to 6 years. They all played really well together and enjoyed hamburgers! We always have such a good time when we all get together. We just wish we were able to do it more often. I think Katherine said it best when she said we learned tonight that we don't have to have a fancy meal to enjoy each others company. It is not how clean your house is or how gourmet the food is you put on the table; it is about spending time with the people you care about!

And We're Back

This picture sums up why there have been no blog posts lately....I am lazy! I also have failed to take ANY pictures since the last post. These were snapped leaving church this morning. Luke always falls asleep coming home from church. He usually falls asleep on the way there, too! I am going to try to do much better in the coming weeks with my picture taking and blog posting!

Fun Night

Virgina, Me, Sara and Laura

Rachel and Sara at Rosepepper

So, I have been on a blogging hiatus. Not that we haven't had blog worthy happenings...we just have not been taking pictures like we are supposed to!

My best friend's little sister is getting married this month. Last night we celebrated at her bachelorette party. I had a great time but it just reminded me how old I am getting! All the girls were so cute and perky! We all met at a hotel downtown to hang out and relive some old memories. Then we headed to supper at Rosepepper in east Nashville. I know they loved seeing a party of 11 coming! After yummy Mexican we went back to the hotel before heading out. This is where Laura and I said our good-byes. We were both tired and had to be up early this morning. It is 4:00 pm on Sunday afternoon and I have yet to hear how the rest of the night went. They are probably all still sleeping!

The night did let me know how great it is to have a night with your girlfriends where you can relax and unwind!

Fun with Friends

The whole gang

Luke, the favorite nephew!

At one point it looked like we
were running a daycare!

We had a fun time at Nonna's last weekend. Lots of Andrew and Mandi's friends were able to join us to celebrate Andrew being finished with chemo. The weather was perfect and we all enjoyed seeing each other and catching up with Andrew. Luke stayed up way past his bedtime! We decided to stay the night at Mom's. It took a while for Luke to go to sleep. There was too much going on for him to settle down. We all slept great and got up the next morning and enjoyed a good breakfast on the patio before Andrew and Mandi headed back to Florida. We were so happy to see Andrew with more energy and feeling better!

Worn Out

Between helping get ready for Andrew's party and the actually party we came home to rest. Luke was worn out! He fell asleep on Paul. This pose was captured when we were trying to wake him up so we could get ready to leave. Obviously he had other plans...

Welcome Home!

Where did it go Uncle Andrew?

All smiles after supper

Tickle, tickle, tickle...

Luke teaching Nanny how
to use his truck

Luke always enjoys cousin Cynthia

Andrew and Mandi came home late Thursday night. Friday we got together at Nonna's with family and close friends. We had pizza on the patio. The July weather in Tennessee is unseasonably cool and we love it! We loved getting to catch up with everyone. Luke went from person to person getting them to do whatever he wanted.

Tonight Nonna is hosting a party for some of Andrew and Mandi's friends. Too much partying this weekend!!!

Floaties

I picked these little floaties up one day last week while we were out. Luke has decided he likes to wear them around the house. Never mind that we have not actually taken them to the pool yet. He likes to "blow" them up. It is so funny. Last night he insisted on putting them on while we ate dinner. That makes eating a little more difficult.

We are looking forward to our fun weekend. Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mandi are coming to visit! We have several things planned so family and friends can catch up with them. More to come....